DIY Tailstock Die Holder Part 2: Marking, Drilling & Tapping

in Part 2 of our Tailstock Die Holder build for the Colchester lathe, we get into the precision work. I'll walk you through the Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) calculations needed for accurate hole placement, the drilling and tapping process, and the "joy" of filing a slot by hand when you don't have a milling machine. We wrap up by assembling all the components—including the MT3 arbor and adapter sleeve—and putting the tool to the test. Stay tuned until the end where I discuss why building your own is often better (and cheaper!) than buying from AliExpress. If you enjoyed this build, please like and subscribe for more garage tinkering and manual machining projects! Video Chapters 00:00 Welcome back to Man Out of the Mist 00:16 Overview of today's marking & layout 00:52 PCD calculations & using the Zeus book 02:49 Scribing the hole positions 07:44 Reviewing the marked components 08:34 The plan for drilling & tapping 09:09 Drilling the main body & tapping M6 11:08 Machining the adapter sleeve insert 13:01 The big job: Chain drilling & filing the slot 14:57 Drilling and tapping the MT3 arbor 16:54 Final assembly & tool testing 21:38 Why I made this vs. buying on AliExpress 23:21 Closing thoughts & thanks for watching